


Synergy

by Fireflower34



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018), Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: ;-;, Angella is immortal and i use that to my advantage, Crossover, First posted fic, Friendship, Gem War, Gem War-Mentioned, Gen, Im going to mess something up, No Romance, Probably no Steven because i cant write him :/, Reunions, Season 3 AU, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 3 Spoilers, Some Non-Canon Elements, Tags Are Fun, Tags Are Hard, The gem rebellion and the princess alliance were allies a few thousand years ago, War, first fic, how old are the other princesses?, i try to keep things canon buuuuut, i...dont know how she-ra works???, in the sense that this will focus on characters and friendships i like, mainly Garnet and Pearl, probably, slightly self-indulgent, the gems knew their ancestors i guess, then the corruption happened, these tags are so unorganized im getting ocd, think of it as an accidental AU, this is reasonable i promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:13:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21724312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fireflower34/pseuds/Fireflower34
Summary: Synergy: Noun: the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.Hordak's been messing with portals, trying to build one into another world, but it's shifted the balance of Etheria drastically. He doesn't notice when one of his experiments successfully opens a portal...into the wrong world. Now the Princess Alliance is more prepared than ever to stop him. And with the help of a few old allies, they're not about to lose.
Relationships: Amethyst & Garnet & Pearl (Steven Universe), Garnet & Pearl & Queen Angella, Garnet & Pearl (Steven Universe), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	1. Contemplations and Surprises

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This's been floating around my head for a while now, and since both these fandoms are great, and because i cant find a crossover like this in AO3, I've decided to take a shot at writing. This is gonna be my first work so constructive criticism is welcome. Pls dont be mean in the comments. And yes, this fic will probably be sort of self-indulgent for me. I'm writing this because i cant find what i want to read so it'll proabably end up focusing on characters I like. Thanks for giving it a try though :) Updates will be very inconsistant. also, i haven't watched season 3 in a while so probably a lot of this isn't canon. just bear with me plz :') For SU it takes place right after the stuff with the diamonds. Maybe a couple hours after the end of Change Your Mind.

Queen Angella sighed as she studied Bright Moon from the balcony in her room, pondering the many events that occured in such a short time. Shadow Weaver had certainly been a surprise. Even more so when he claimed that he came to help, and actually did. She’d never thought she’d see Mica’s old mentor again. Adora, Bow, and her daughter were to leave to find Mara’s message in the Crimson Waste. And although the queen was aware of how dangerous that particular area was, she had to admit that with the strange disturbances in Etheria’s balance, Mara’s message could prove to be invaluable.

That didn’t mean she liked it, however.

The trio was incredibly powerful, so most likely they would be able to handle anything that happened at the Crimson Waste. But it also meant that if they fell, the Rebellion would be at a severe disadvantage.

Or course, she wasn’t just worried about them strategically, Glimmer was her daughter, all she had left of Mica. Adora and Bow she cared deeply about as well. Adora deserved to have a mother figure in her life, and Angella had taken it upon herself to become that figure (and by the amused looks Glimmer shot her, she guessed that her daughter had noticed). As for Bow, she was incredibly thankful for the help he’d given Glimmer time and time again. And she was happy to provide a space for him to escape to whenever he felt like it.

Queen Angella gazed once more at the brilliant lights of Bright Moon, and shifted her gaze to what laid beyond.

The Whispering Woods were as dark and gloomy as ever. The most competent barrier between the Hoard’s forces, and the Rebellion’s base. After the Battle of Bright Moon (as many had started calling it) the wood had finally recovered enough that the damage was barely noticeable.

Angella scanned the tops of the trees one more time, checking for any signs of Hoard activity. Satisfied, she’d just turned back towards her room when a brilliant beam of blue light flashed in the corner of her eye and a familiar chime sounded in the distance.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Uggggggh the diamonds are so annoying.”

Amethyst collapsed onto the couch and kicked her legs onto one of the armrests. “I mean, it's better than being evil intergalactic conquerors but can they be less...dramatic?”

Pearl sat down next to her with a sigh, “I don’t think they can. Even Pink acted that way.”

Garnet stood behind the couch and leaned forward to look at the other gems. “The diamonds are trying. That’s what counts.” She adjusted her new star-shaped visor, “and we have to find the rest of the corrupted gems.”

Amethyst groaned, flipping over to press her face into the cushions, “Seriously? C’mon G, we just got back!”

“Amethyst, we can’t just let them run loose in the world! Especially now that they can be healed.” Peal sighed and leaned back against the couch, stretching her arms over her head, “but I do agree that it’s been a long day, and perhaps we shouldn’t leave immediately.”

Amethyst yawned, lifting her head just enough so her eyes were visible, “At least Steven’s gonna spend the night at Connie’s. We got all the time we need.” She flipped onto her back, throwing one arm over the back of the couch (narrowly missing Garnet), and the other across her chest. Resting her head on Pearl’s leg, she closed her eyes and mumbled, “Wake me up in four thousand years.” Then she was asleep.

Pearl set a hand on Amethyst head absentmindedly, and watched the sunset through the window. Garnet was silent, searching through the most probable futures and dismissing them one by one, seeing nothing worrying. Suddenly she paused, a corrupted gem at the strawberry battlefield. Was it worth it? They were all tired. Even if the gem didn’t seem that powerful, could they risk taking it on? Yes, she decided, checking the future again. They could poof the gem and bring it back to the diamonds to be healed, then come back. All before night fell.

She reached over and rested a hand on Pearls shoulder, startling the smaller gem, “Pearl, strawberry battlefield, wake Amethyst.” Garnet got up and headed towards the warp pad as Pearl shook the purple gem awake (“has it been 4000 years yet?” “No, its a mission, come on Amethyst.”). The three of them stood next to Garnet as she activated the warp pad, the bright blue light enveloping them as they shot up into the warp system.

Now normally, they would arrive at their destination in a few seconds or less. But today hadn’t been very normal so far, why would it start now?

The ride had started dragging on for a second too long when a violet portal suddenly opened above them, the warp shooting straight into it before any of the gems could react. There was a millisecond of darkness where the warp seemed to shudder, then it stabilized and the sky-blue warp had changed to an ocean color. Garnet realized what it meant a second before they landed. And by the gasp that escaped Pearl’s mouth, she guessed that the other gem had noticed too. But Amethyst just yelped in shock, “Guys what the heck just happened? The warp just went all weird! And what’s with the colo- Wait this isn’t the strawberry battlefield!”

The chime sounded as the beam of light deposited them on a crumbling warp pad in the middle of a forest. A very familiar forest. Pearl stepped off the warp pad cautiously, eyes wide and hands over her mouth. “I never thought we’d see this place again,”

Garnet whisked her visor away and stared at the scene before them in wonder, “I didn’t foresee this, the odds of warping here must have been minuscule”

Amethyst stared at the forest, then at Pearl and Garnet, then back at the forest. Finally she spoke, “Alright, time out, where the heck are we?” Garnet stepped off the warp pad and walked to Pearl’s side, resting a hand on her shoulder and the other on Amethyst’s head. Staring above the trees, the two taller gems could see a familiar stone radiating blue energy, and the gleaming city beyond that. And it was all the confirmation they needed. When they spoke, it was at the same time.

“Etheria.”

Author's Note: If you've made it this far, thank you! The next chapter will come out when i have time to write again. I wont abandon this fic, i promise (at least not without a notice), though updates may take a very long time as my life just keep getting busier. Chapters probably wont be that long since i cant write for that long. Thanks for reading!


	2. Old and New Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunions are great things aren't they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Chapter 2 is done! if you catch any errors please tell me in the comments, this was a bit rushed.  
> I'm surprised that this got any Kudos at all! thank you to those who left them! and also thanks to anyone who read this fic at all!  
> I'll try to post the next chapter soon. If you have ideas, pls share,  
> Characters may be OOC so i apologize for that.

Angella raced down the stairs that led up to her room, whizzing past the guards, and nearly colliding with Adora, Glimmer, and Bow, as they ran down the same path. Bow yelped in alarm, narrowly avoiding the domino effect as he stopped just short of bumping into the girls in front of him.

“Mom!” Glimmer looked relieved to see the older woman, “there was a weird flash! And a noise!! But no one else saw it so we’re gonna go check it out.”

Adora cut in, “It could be a new weapon the Hoard developed. It could be dangerous! Do we have permission to investigate?”

Glimmer shoved her gently, “we’re leaving for the woods permission or not! You can't stop us Mom! The Hoard could be up to something!”

Queen Angella’s mind was racing, but some part of her was coherent enough to process the trio’s words. “No no no, it’s not the Hoard.”

The three friends exchanged confused glances, the tension in their stances lessening.

“Waaait a second.” Bow squinted at her suspiciously, “does that mean you know what it is?” Glimmer and Adora stared at her and Queen Angella was careful to keep her face emotionless. Internally, she quickly planned out the next few minutes. The three of them were unlikely to let her go alone, so if she can’t shake them, she’ll bring them along. And if was who she thought (and hoped. Oh, she hoped so much that it was them. That it wasn’t a haywire piece of first-one’s tech.) then this could very well end up in their favor (of course, she has to make sure neither group attacked the other first).

“Perhaps,” She answered Bow’s question, “I’ll go ‘check it out’ and you three will prepare for your journey in the morning.” (A/N: did I forget to mention that it’s evening right now? Oops.) Glimmer glared at her mom, “No way, we’re coming with you.” Adora nodded and Bow stood determinedly behind them.

Angella sighed, she knew this would happen. Oh, well, she’ll just try to keep the violence to a minimum. “Alright. But you must do exactly as I say.” she added before any of them could celebrate. “You must follow my directions and not act without thinking. This could tip the scales in our favor against the Hoard, or it could make everything much more difficult.” She was being overly cautious, she knew, but you could never be sure with teenagers.

The three of them looked slightly unsettled by her oddly specific instructions and stern tone, but nodded anyway. “Oh and Glimmer? Don’t teleport. Follow behind me and do not go ahead.”

Her daughter huffed in annoyance but made a noise of consent.

“Alright, lets go.” she unfolded her wings and took off, gliding slowly enough that the trio could keep up. Even as something inside her urged her to fly as fast as she could, leave the children behind, race through the woods and see for herself if the hope in her chest would explode or be crushed.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(When they reached the woods)

Queen Angella slowed down further as they approached the woods, glancing behind her as the children raced to keep up.

She sighed, folding her wings and landing on the ground as the trio finally caught up.

Glimmer was the first, apparently deciding to follow the rules this time and not teleport. “Geez Mom, why you gotta fly so fast?” she gasped, putting her hands on her knees and trying to catch her breath. Adora was close behind, practically dragging Bow, who was groaning something about physical exertion. Angella ignored the comment and turned back to the trees, her thoughts occupied with theories of what could have happened for her allies to lose contact for thousands of years.

Several horrible scenarios popped up in her mind and she shook her head, no, they were back (she hoped) and she could ask them herself now. “We walk from here,” she said out loud, the three children groaned and Angella let a smile tug at her lips as she started forward, pressing her wings close to her body to avoid scraping against the trees. She had a clear picture of where they were going. A small meadow, deep in the woods and well hidden by natural growth, some magic and technology. Only a select few knew about it. But most of those people were gone now. Angella being the only one left (Hordak might have known, but Angella wasn’t sure.).

There was a squawk of indignation behind her as a branch slapped Bow in the face, drawing giggles from Glimmer as the archer shoved the offending object away. “Watch out, there’s a ditch here.” Adora called back to her friends, ducking under a vine. Angella brushed aside some moss dangling in front of her face and leaped over a root that had grown across the path (they’d decided to make one just in case. Of course, it was well hidden and barely visible). Glimmer yelped as the leaves rustled above her and a squirrel jumped out, chattering at them angrily before disappearing into the undergrowth. Bow snorted at the startled expression on her face, causing the princess to shove him playfully.

“Children,” Angella warned. The two of them snapped to attention and Adora shot them an amused look. Everyone was silent after that. The only sound being the crunch of leaves under their feet and the rustling of branches.

After walking quite some way, Bow broke the silence, “soooo, how long until we get there? And I’m assuming you somehow know where we’re going.” he added as he leaned to look at the queen around the two girls in front of him. Angella nodded, “we should be there right about-” they turned a corner and she carefully ran her fingers over a tree, stopping right in the middle of the trunk, “-now.”

They followed her as she continued forward to what seemed like a giant rock embedded in the mountainside. “Umm, Mom? Are you sure?” Glimmer peered around Adora to see the large moss-covered section of cliff. Angella smiled, “quite sure.” She traced a shape on the stone and the solid hologram flickered once, then disappeared.

The trio gasped, but Angella wasn’t paying attention to them. She was scanning the small space for- There!

At the edge of the meadow, three figures stood, one, a tall dark pinkish-red (last Angella had seen her, she’d been a combination of pink and blue), another tall, with light skin, and a third with a wild mane purple hair.

“What-” Adora had followed her gaze and noticed the three as well, but before they could say anything, Angella had unfolded her wings in a flash and flown directly at them, causing Glimmer to cry out in warning. But Angella knew exactly who they were, and after thousands of years, she wasn’t going to wait any longer.

“Garnet! Pearl!”

She called out the names of the two gems she recognized, and they turned, surprised by the familiar figure racing towards them.

“Angella!” They replied simultaneously, and the leader of the rebellion rushed at Garnet, who was more likely to withstand the force of her oncoming hug.

They collided and she was immediately wrapped up in two pairs of arms. The happiness in her chest finally spilling over at the relief that her friends were okay and right in front of her.

“Oh my stars Angella it’s really you!” Pearl pulled back a little, taking in every detail of the face in front of her.

“I did say she was coming.” Garnet grinned at the two figures in her arms, “It’s been a while.”

“You could say that.” Angella stood up straight and brushed away the tears forming in her eyes. “Because five thousand years would be a while wouldn’t it?”

Garnet straightened too, keeping a hand on both her friends shoulders. “That depends.” she answered, “immortality does things.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Angella chuckled, “Oh! And you have a new form!”

She studied the fusion up and down, noting that she was one color now, with neater hair. But her three eyes were as they’d always been, right now, shining with joy and unshed tears (Garnet had never been one to cry anyway).

“I do,”

“Oh!” Pearl suddenly cut in, “But she added one more thing. Remember when you wondered if you could enhance her vision?” Angella nodded, curious as to where this was going. “Well I’m not exactly sure how it works buuuuut…” Pearl gestured at Garnet, who smiled knowingly and brought one hand up to her eyes. A flick of a wrist, and a gleaming gold visor flashed onto her face. Its star shape an obvious reference to the Crystal Gems.

Angella gasped, “it enhances your vision?” Garnet’s tone was almost amused when she answered, “Mostly makes it clearer, but in a sense, yes.” She tilted her head at the gem next to her, “we all have new forms now.”

A light blush spread across Pearl’s face as Angella looked her over. Noting the jacket and jeans. She clapped her hands together, “Finally in casual clothes then?”

Pearl’s blush deepened. “You could say that.”

Angella wished she could stay in that moment, when they were all together and perfectly happy. But there were four more of them that Angella had failed to acknowledge. She peered around the two gems, setting her gaze on the shorter purple one behind them. The gem stared back at her and gave a confused wave.

“Oh! Angella, meet Amethyst. She’s one of our newer recruits. Amethyst, this is Queen Angella, leader of the rebellion in this world.” Pearl introduced them.

The smaller gem studied her, taking in her wings, earrings, and outfit, before seemingly giving an internal shrug and holding out her hand, neutral expression breaking into a wide grin, “Hey, yeah, I’m Amethyst, kinda smaller than I’m supposed to be, if you haven’t noticed. If Garnet and Pearl act like that to you then you’re probably nice. Happened already with Bismuth. Unless Rose also kept you away for a reason…?”

Angella blinked, then shook herself internally, and took the gem's hand. “Nice to meet you Amethyst. And actually, I don’t know what happened to make us lose contact so completely. And Bismuth?” She glanced at her two friends. She'd met Bismuth briefly and she seemed nice, so Angella had no idea what could have happened. Yet Pearl winced and Garnet just said, “long story.”

Angella nodded in acknowledgment. They better tell her everything later. She turned back to Amethyst, “Alright, so, I’ve known these two for quite some time, what can you do? I’ve only seen a few Amethysts, but I assume you’re different.”

A mischievous smile spread across Amethyst's face, “well-” She began, but was cut off by a bright pink flash as Glimmer teleported in front of her, “Mom!” She ignored Amethyst’s yelp of surprise, “We’ve given you time, now explain. Who are they?” she swept an arm towards the gems, “where is this?” she gestured around them at the meadow, “and how are YOU involved?” Glimmer crossed her arms and the other two teens finally reached the group. Adora immediately ran to Glimmer’s side, “sorry for interrupting, but I agree with Glimmer, we need to know what’s going on.” Bow caught up with them, throwing an arm over Glimmer’s shoulders, “Yeah, I mean, this IS all kinda suspicious,”

Glimmer glared at her mom, “You owe us an explanation,” her gaze flickered left and right to the gems, then fixed back onto Angella, “and a reason to trust them.” The rebellion leader held up her hands in surrender, “I know, I do owe you an explanation. And you-” she shot a meaningful look at Garnet and Pearl, “-owe me one as well.” She lowered her hands, “I assume that you won’t allow us to leave for Bright Moon without explaining, so I suggest you sit down, it’s a very long story.“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaand that's chapter 2!  
> Eh, not the best but I'll take it  
> Hopefully, the next one won't take too long either  
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Introductions and Explanations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angella talks about the gems and their history

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took alot longer than i thought it might  
> I only realize how complicated the gems are after trying to summarize everything in one chapter  
> probably a bit OOC  
> WAAAAY too much dialogue, but bear with me plz T^T

Angella lowered herself carefully onto the grass, the gems on her left, and three teenagers facing them. Garnet and Pearl knew to keep their distance. Sitting a little ways from Angella, but close enough to hear her. Amethyst sat closest to her, eager to hear the story Garnet and Pearl hadn’t told. Glimmer faced her mom directly, occasionally glancing at the gems warily. Adora and Bow sat on either side of her, their gazes mostly fixed on Angella. All three looked rather anxious for her to start explaining. Angella exhaled, shooting one last glance at the gems,

“Alright, I’ll start with something simple. I am immortal, and so is Hordak (A/N: sorry if he’s not, but it’s the best way to make this work). Thousands of years ago, when the Princess Alliance was strong, we fought the Hoard and captured one of their soldiers. He told us that there were multiple worlds, and that Hordak was trying to cross over to them with portals. Of course, we were shocked that there were other worlds out there. But since his experiments were disturbing Etheria’s balance, we attempted to stop him.” Angella glanced at all of their faces. Glimmer looked slightly bored, (she’d heard several similar tales after all) Adora was listening with fascination, and Bow’s face was rather emotionless (surprisingly).

Garnet and Pearl were having a quiet conversation, but Amethyst was leaning forward in anticipation, clearly enjoying the story. Angella let a smile tug at her lips before continuing. “We launched an attack into the Fright Zone, but halfway through the battle, the runestones’ powers went haywire as Hordak attempted another portal. So we had to retreat. When we arrived at Bright Moon though, we found out that Hordak’s latest experiment had succeeded in connecting two worlds.” the smile had made its way onto her face, “except, not the ones he was aiming for. Instead, it connected our world, and theirs.” She gestured towards the gems, Amethyst was gaping at her, and Pearl shot them an amused look.

  
“Okay, but that doesn’t explain everything.” Glimmer cut in. Angella nodded, “I was getting to that. The other world was a planet called Earth. It had humans like ours, but without powers or runestones. But the three people it brought through were a different species, not native to Earth. They were gems.”

Adora tilted her head in confusion, “Gems? As in gemstones? But those are just rocks.”

  
“Yeah,” Bow added, “but it would explain some things…” his eyes flicked over the gleaming purple stone in Amethyst’s chest.

  
Angella continued, “Gems were similar to us in appearance, but they had a completely different skill set and completely different attributes.” She paused and turned to Garnet and Pearl, “How much are you willing to tell?”

  
Pearl tapped a finger to her chin, “how about the basics for now. Anything specific can be handled later.” Garnet nodded and the two of them got up to move onto Angella’s right.

  
“And,” Garnet added with a grin, “we can show as you tell.” Angella returned the smile, “Alright. First things first. All gems have a -well- gem that’s the core of their being. It’s also what they’re named after, but I’ll explain that later.” Garnet held up a palm and Pearl tapped the smooth stone in her forehead.

  
“There are many, many types of gems, but they all share several of the same abilities. They do not need food, drink, or sleep. And they cannot age or die, but if they are hurt badly enough, their form will give away and leave only their gem behind as they heal. While in their gem, they can alter their form. Much like changing clothes, but more permanent. If their gem is shattered, the gem then cannot reform and is killed. ” Garnet interrupted her, “We are not going to demonstrate that for obvious reasons.”

  
Angella nodded, “All gems can shapeshift,” Pearl mumbled something but Garnet shifted her hands to be five times their normal size, then back to normal. Drawing startled gasps from the trio.

  
“And each one can summon a weapon from their gem.”

  
“Whaaaaaat.”

  
Garnet pounded her fists together and summoned her gauntlets in a flash of light. Pearl reached up to her gem and pulled out her spear with a flourish.

  
A shocked silence fell as the three teenagers stared at the two gems. Amethyst finally broke it when she burst out laughing, “Oh my gods, your faces! PRICELESS I tell you.” Pearl let out a laugh as well, “it’s been a while since someone was that surprised.”

Glimmer snapped her mouth shut after realizing that it was open, “well YOU try watching someone pull a weapon from their body. That’d be so convenient…” she muttered. Amethyst snorted, “we watch that on a daily basis, we DO that on a daily basis.” Bow just stared at her, “you can do that too?”

She made a face, gesturing at the purple stone set into her chest, “I’m a gem, aren’t I?”

Adora touched the sword strapped to her back, “if I could do that…”

Angelo watched in amusement, finally continuing after they all fell silent. She glanced at Garnet, “should I explain fusion?”

The gem paused, “Ruby says no, Sapphire says yes. Pick your side.” Angella thought it over, if Garnet openly mentioned her two components then she was probably leaning towards Sapphire’s side. “Gems also have the ability of fusion. If two or more gems are in perfect sync they can combine into one gem through a special dance. The fusion will have some attributes of both her components, but will also be her own person, she is approximately the combined height of both gems and has her own personality and a weapon made from combining her components weapons.”

Garnet interrupted her before the trio could react, “fusions are the physical representations of a relationship between the gems. It doesn’t have to be romantic, but fusion is deeply personal, your partner will know everything you know, everything you think, and everything you try to hide. It is generally used only when the gems are not strong enough to complete a task alone, or for situations in which the fusion’s skills are necessary. A fusion can separate by mutual agreement or if her two parts are in disharmony.”

“You. Can. Whaaaaat.”

Bow stared up at them, “you _can...combine??”_

“Yep, it’s up to Garnet if she wants to show you though.” Pearl glanced at the taller gem, who shook her head.

“Save it for the battlefield.”

Angella continued over Glimmer’s incredulous spluttering, “those are the basics, now, I can explain the history.”

Garnet and Pearl sat back down as the remaining four people turned to Angella, “the three gems that were brought here had no idea where they were, saying that they’d been on their way back from a raid and their warp stream had malfunctioned. We settled on a shaky truce and they explained that the world on the other side of the portal was earth. Where there was a rebellion against the gem’s Homeworld to try and save the planet. They crossed back over and brought a pink gem named Rose Quartz, who was the leader of their rebellion. She introduced us to the other gems and since then, we built a warp pad for easier travel, and cleared a section of the forest to hide it in, protected by a solid hologram.

We installed some first-ones tech into their warp pads to smoothen the ride. We exchanged soldiers and stories, and I learned that Homeworld had a strict hierarchy. With specific roles for every type of gem. Anyone who steps out of line is considered defective and shattered. Homeworld conquered many planets and used their resources to create more gems, destroying any life on the planet in the process. They wanted to do that to earth, so a rebellion rose to stop them, fighting against Homeworld ideals. but…” she glanced at the two older gems, “after a thousand years or so, all connections were cut off and we lost contact completely. By then, Hordak’s portal project had been stopped, and we would not risk trying to open one ourselves. So, what happened?”

She directed the question at Garnet and Pearl, the latter shuddered and looked down, the former clenched her teeth, uttering two words that meant nothing to any of the humans (A/N If you know what their race is actually called, please tell me, but I’ll call them humans for now), “The Corruption.” Amethyst sucked in a breath, having connected the dots as to why they never told her.

Angella stared in confusion, but neither of them would meet her gaze. “We’ll give you the details later.” Pearl spoke quickly and firmly, leaving no room for argument. But her voice shook slightly, even if she hid it well. Garnet picked up on this as well, “All that the kids need to know is that it knocked out the warp pads.” Angella nodded slowly, just barely keeping the concern out of her expression. They promised to tell her, and they would. Too much had happened in five thousand years. Maybe she could ask to contact Rose, now that the warp pad was back to (barely) functioning.

Glimmer’s head was tilted, her eyes glazed over as she processed the new information. Adora studied the four people in front of her, trying to guess the reason behind their reactions. Bow just stared blankly, “Oooookay, I toootally got all that, but one thing I’m pretty sure you said was that the gems are a race? So who are they-” he nodded in Garnet and Pearl’s direction, “- specifically? Why do you know them so well? Seems to me like you were just allies in battle. Though I guess you could say that we’re friends with the other princesses in the alliance, so that sorta throws off my whole argument. But really, who are they as, like, people?”

Glimmer snapped out of her trance to catch the last part of Bow’s statement, “Yeah mom, you just told us their entire backstory - well maybe not _all_ of it - but we still don't know who they really are.” At this statement, Pearl and Garnet exchanged an amused glance (A/N: pffft, made a song reference by accident lol). Adora gave them a strange look, then nodded in agreement. “Introduce them to us, then we can be done here.”

Angella hesitated, she knew most things about the two gems, Amethyst, she’d still have to get acquainted to, but she knew Pearl and Garnet well enough to know that there were certain things they were less than comfortable revealing to strangers. She stood up, “Alright, I’ll introduce them.” She had a better idea of how to keep the more private things secret without making the trio suspicious. It was getting dark though, they’d have to be quick.

Angella held out a hand to Garnet, hoping she would follow along. Garnet gave a small nod of acknowledgment and accepted the hand, walking to stand on Angella’s right side. “This is Garnet (A/N: second song reference XD), she is a fusion of Ruby and Sapphire-” They’d noticed that Garnet had more than one gem sooner or later, this would make it easier. And Garnet would understand, her future vision would have told her. “-who fused for the first time on accident, and wanted to keep fusing, even though cross-gem fusion was forbidden on Homeworld. Rubies had a relatively low rank and were little more than soldiers. Naturals at combat and made for battle, team of them often served as bodyguards for higher level gems such as sapphires. Sapphires were treated very well for their unique and highly valuable ability to see the future-”

“Waaaaaaaat” Bow’s jaw dropped open, “they can _what_ now?”

“That would be so incredibly helpful.” Glimmer mumbled, Adora nodding in agreement.

Angella continued, “Same-gem fusion was used as simply a battle tactic, and sapphires were considered too high level to be ‘worthy’ of fusing with. So when Ruby and Sapphire fused on accident, they were sentenced to death. They fled to Earth and joined the rebellion so they could protect the one place they could love and live with whoever they wished.” Garnet grinned, holding up her two hands and letting the gems gleam in the growing moonlight.

“In the rebellion, she was third in command.” Assuming that their rebellion hadn’t lasted five thousand years. Her’s certainly had. “And she has an improved version of future vision that allows her to see not just one future, but all the possible futures. A combination of Ruby’s pyrokinesis and Sapphire’s cryokinesis also gives Garnet electrokinesis. Any details you’ll have to ask her yourself” Angella added.

Garnet walked back over to Pearl and tugged the hesitant gem to her feet, giving her a gentle shove in Angella’s direction. Internally, they knew that the next information would most likely cause an uproar in their small audience. But in order to keep to the truth, none of them spoke out. Angella sent the gem a small, apologetic smile, and Pearl responded with a helpless shrug. What could they do? After all, gaining their trust was crucial.

“This is Pearl. Her type of gem was the lowest in the hierarchy. Pearls were made-to-order servants, and weren’t viewed as individuals, but as property. They were shattered as fast as new models were made, and the idea that a pearl could think for herself was ridiculous.” Rose had often spoke of how pearls were treated, usually in comparison to _their_ Pearl, so there was much more she could say on this particular topic. However, the three childrens’ reactions were more interesting. Adora was the first, “What?! That's horrible!”

Glimmer cut in, “New models? Shattered? This happens because they were a certain gem? That’s wrong! They should be treated like people!”

“Yeah, I totally get why Homeworld’s bad now. That’s seriously messed up.” Bow added

Angella smiled slightly at the stream of angry sentences that continued. They were absolutely right after all. But Homeworld thought otherwise. Angella glanced at Pearl. She’d pulled her arms behind her back and was gripping one wrist with her other hand, watching the children with a slightly amused, slightly relieved expression. But introductions still had to be made, and it was getting darker every second.

Angella cleared her throat, letting the trio fall silent before continuing, “Yes, pearls were considered accessories and incapable of being anything else. So you can imagine Homeworld’s shock at seeing one rebel against them.” a proud smile flit across her face before disappearing, “Pearl was the second member of the rebellion, and earned a reputation for being skilled with a sword. She can create holograms from her gem, projecting memories, or a view of a certain area. She can create solid holograms much like the one that conceals this meadow, but not just objects, people as well. Which can live somewhat independently if she chooses to make them that way. As a pearl, she has immense storage room in her gem, and many things stored that she summons whenever needed. She has psammokinesis* and nephelokinesis** and was second in command in the rebellion.” Pearl gave a small wave and headed back to her spot by Garnet.

Angella glanced at Amethyst, who’d been silent the entire time. “Since I only just met you today, I suppose that introduction will be from Garnet and Pearl?”

Amethyst shrugged, “I guess. Dunno how I feel ‘bout throwing my life story out there for some people I’ve never met. You seem cool though.”

Angella laughed a little, “I think we’ll have to head back now, it’s getting late.” She looked at Adora, Glimmer, and Bow, “Well? Was that good enough for you?” They nodded, the suspicion in their gaze replaced by curiosity,

“We’re good, and now we need to head back without alarming the whole palace (A/N: do they have one? Imma say they do).” Glimmer replied

Angella smiled, “That won’t be a problem.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW *Control over sand **Control over clouds  
> according to the wiki and my own observations, that much is canon
> 
> Thanks so much to everyone who's read this! especially if you left kudos!  
> Its nice to see that people enjoy my random au  
> Im sorry for all the talking and unnecessary information, we'll get some action eventually, even if i suck at writing fight scenes (and writing in general...)  
> hope to see you next chapter!


	4. Questions and Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gems have a lot of explaining to do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so so so sorry. I dropped out of these two fandoms for the lONGEST time, and completely forgot about this.  
> I have no excuse. But i hope to start updating again  
> im sorryyyyyyy T^T  
> Heres the next chapter!! I'll update when i get the chance!!

Angella leads the way back through the forest, the gems on her right, the children on her left. She leans over to Garnet, “When we arrive, you owe me a full explanation.” The fusion just nods in acknowledgment. The three children are discussing something quietly, but it wasn’t hard to guess what they were talking about. 

Angella stopped at the edge of the woods just before the entrance to the palace would come into sight. She glanced at the three gems, “Same thing, go back around the palace and meet me in my room. The window should be open.”

Bow stared, “What? Your window is like fifty feet high! Don’t tell me they can fly too!”

Amethyst smirks mischievously and shapeshifts into a purple bird for a brief second before switching back. “I mean, technically we  _ can _ fly…”

Adora shakes her head, “they just jump extremely high. But Amethyst isn’t wrong.”

Glimmer and Adora exchange a disbelieving look as the gems head around the city, but they follow Angella anyway.

The rebel leader nods at the guards as she passes by them and leads the group back into the palace.

She turns around as soon as the door shuts behind them and states firmly, “You are all going to bed.”

“But Mom-!”

Angella cuts her off, “No buts. Unless you changed your plans without telling me, the three of you were headed to the Crimson Waste in the morning, weren’t you? You need your rest.”

Adora nods reluctantly, “She’s right, we need all the sleep we can get.”

Bow shrugs, “I’m cool with staying the night.”

Glimmer sighs, “Fine. But mom, what are you going to do about the gems?”

Angella had hoped to introduce them tomorrow, when the city wasn’t asleep. She needed everyone as coherent as possible to understand that they weren’t a threat, but a valuable asset. She was planning on eventually taking them to meet the other princesses. They had fought alongside their ancestors after all and it seemed flitting to introduce them to the new generation. And their presence would definitely affect all of the Princess Alliance, especially in battle.

“Introduce them. Show our forces what they can do, contact the other princesses.” s he summarized. Glimmer seemed unsatisfied with her answer, but let herself be dragged away by Bow and Adora only to disappear in a shower of pink sparkles and reappear on top of the stairs with a smirk on her face, her sudden teleportation making the two rebels stumble. “Race ya!”

And she disappeared again, leaving Bow and Adora to dash up the stairs shouting insults and complaints that faded as they ran out of sight.

Angella smiled fondly and glided up to the second floor as well, landing just outside the door to her room. 

She stood outside it for a moment, listening for any sign that the gems had arrived.

“Amethyst put that down!”

“Huh, this place is weirdly normal”

“You’ve seen palaces before. On Earth.”

“Yeah but none of them were like _this_. And the insides were so _fancy_. Like ‘look at me! I’m rich!’ kind of fancy.”

“Amethyst those were the palaces of Kings and Queens, of course they were fancy.”

“Isn’t your friend a queen too?”

Said friend chuckled to herself before pushing the door open. Making just enough noise to alert the gems to her entrance. Amethyst, who was inspecting the room, glanced over in surprise, Garnet stood in front of her bed, silently taking in the room. Pearl had apparently retrieved whatever item Amethyst had taken and jumped in surprise when the door opened, hand going instinctively towards her gem before she saw who it was.

“Oh, it’s you,” She sighed in relief, letting her hand drop back to her side. 

Amethyst grinned curiously at her, “Hey, I-forgot-your-name, aren’t you a queen?”

Angella smiles back in amusement, “It’s Angella, and yes, I am” Blunt and to the point. Angella liked her attitude.

“Why isn’t your bedroom super fancy and shiny like the ones in other palaces? I can guess why you don’t use gemstones like the other humans though.” she shuddered a bit. “Boy I hated that room, but Pearl wouldn’t let me destroy it.” 

The pale gem huffed indignantly. “We can’t go around destroying things that belong to other people! And most of the world didn’t and still doesn’t know about our existence and destroying such an important and famous place like that would attract unwanted attention. But…” She sighed, “I didn’t like it any more than you did.” 

After a brief pause, Angella speaks up to answer Amethyst’s previous question, “Well, as you said, I don’t use gemstones for obvious reasons. But other than that I guess I just prefer to keep it simple. On top of the fact that it’d be totally unnecessary to decorate my bedroom, it’d also cost time and money that we can’t spare.”

“Yeah, about that.” Amethyst steps back and flops onto Angella’s bed, “You’re a rebel leader. Why do YOU guys have a rebellion? It seems pretty nice here.”

Garnet speaks up for the first time, “Hordak wants to take over. The princesses won’t let him.”

Amethyst wrinkled her nose, “Princesses? Please tell me that means something else here.”

“They do. Princess is what we call the leader of each kingdom. They each have their own power. And the Rebellion is led by the Princess Alliance. Exactly what it sounds like.” Pearl responds before Angella can.

The queen held up her hands, “While I’d love to continue answering your questions, Amethyst, I think it’s about time I got some answers from your friends,” She raised an eyebrow at Garnet and Pearl, who had also taken a seat on her bed. “So? You promised a full explanation.”

The two gems glanced at each other and Amethyst fell silent.

“...I never really took the time to realize how much has changed recently, “ Pearl says quietly. Garnet nods, “We've been busy.”

“And I have no idea where to start.”

Angella considers this. Of course, it’s been five thousand years. A lot can change in just one, let alone a few thousand. No wonder they were at a loss for words. “Alright. How about we do a Twenty Questions kind of thing? Instead of explaining, I’ll ask, you answer.” 

Garnet shrugs, “It’d certainly give us somewhere to start.” Pearl nods in agreement.

Angella exhales slowly, sorting through the questions that’d be accumulating throughout the last few hours. She decides on an easy one. “Why did we lose contact?”

“The Corruption.” Pearl and Garnet say together, the same answer as before.

“Okay, first, how did it cut us off? Second, what is the Corruption?(Amethyst winces a little)”

Pearl answers first. “The corruption knocked out the warp panels temporarily, but shut off the first-ones tech inside permanently.”

Garnet is the one to continue, “The Corruption is what we call the event that ended the war. It was caused by a diamond blast that turned every gem on earth into a ‘monster’ for lack of a better word.”

This was certainly news to Angella. She’d assumed that the war ended, but with nothing except a final confrontation between the two sides. Something like what Garnet just described...

“That’s horrible! Why would they-actually, don’t answer that.”

Pearl smiles a little, but she seems distracted, “I’m not sure you’d like to know either. Although we’re bound to get to it eventually.”

Angella barely processes the words, already occupied with a new question. “Wait, if the blast corrupted all the gems on Earth, weren’t you caught in the blast? How are you okay?”

“Rose and her shield.” Garnet said curtly.

“She was beside us at the time,” Pearl added softly, “And saw the blast just a moment before it reached us. She enlarged her shield and grabbed the two gems closest to her. When the light faded, everyone else was corrupted.”

Angella nodded slowly, struggling to process the information, “everyone? Biggs, Blue Lace, Snowflake, Bismuth…?”

Garnet and Pearl exchanged a glance, “Uh,” Pearl began, “weelll, not really. They’re fine now.”

Amethyst snorted, “Though Bismuth was fine the whole time”

Angella raised an eyebrow through the wave of relief that crashed over her, “Oh really? Care to explain?” 

Amethyst shrugged, “Sure. Rose bubbled Bismuth because she wanted to shatter the homeworld gems with a new weapon, and stored her in a dimension in her magic lion’s mane. Steven accidentally popped her bubble and brought her out. Then he bubbled her again after she tried to suggest the same thing to him as she did to Rose. Then he unbubbled her for Garnet’s wedding, and she’s fine now.”

Angella stared blankly at her. There was  _ so much _ she didn’t understand about that explanation. But of course, her mind latched on to the most important piece first.

She whirled around to face Garnet, “Wait, Ruby and Sapphire are  _ married _ now??”

The fusion grinned, “Yep.” She held up her hands, letting the moonlight show off the two rings on her fingers, “Bismuth made these.”

“Oh my stars! Congratulations! I wish I could have been there! Though it would have been impossible at the time…” Angella calmed down a little and sorted through the rest of that sentence. “Alright, who’s Steven?”

Garnet glanced at Pearl, “I’m not explaining.”

The smaller gem yelped, “What?! But I don’t understand it either!”

“Better than I do.”

“You just don’t want to talk anymore…”

“Amethyst could do it.”

The purple gem jumped and scrambled backwards, “Nope nope nope, this is all you, P”

Pearl sighed, “Alright fine.”

She turned to Angella, who was both slightly confused and slightly amused by their reactions, and also waiting for an answer

“A little over a decade ago, Rose met a human and fell in love. She had a child with him, but in order for the baby to exist, she had to give up her form. So Steven is Rose, but he retained none of her memories. He has her gem, and has her powers, but also isn’t Rose. he’s fourteen years old currently.”

Angella stood quietly for a moment. Rose was gone? She has a son? She  _ is _ her son?? This got more and more complicated the more she learned. But first, Rose is essentially dead. Her gem may still exist, but she’s gone now. And Angella would never see her again. No reunion like the one earlier this evening. Rose was simply gone.

She let the grief wash over her like a wave and then pull back again. Perhaps it was the notion that Rose wasn’t officially  _ dead _ \- her gem was intact, and that was the only way a gem could die- but she felt strangely calm. There was still much more to discuss, she could mourn when her kingdom wasn’t in jeopardy.

“Oh...What’s he like?”

Pearl smiles a little, “Rose”

“She asked ‘what’” Garnet replies with just a hint of amusement in her voice. 

“And I  _ replied  _ what”

Angella laughs, “Rose is an adequate response.” She tapped a finger to her chin thoughtfully, “okay, so….Steven’s fourteen. What’s it been like the last fourteen years?”

The three gems exchanged a look. “Chaotic” Amethyst offered, “Fun. Crazy. Terrifying. Confusing. Take your pick.”

“All of the above,” Pearl muttered. Garnet just nods.

“Hm. Fair enough” Angella sits down on her bed, “what about...the corrupted gems? You said they were fine now?”

Pearl winced, “ah. That. That’s a very long and recent story.” She glances at Garnet. “It’s someone else’s turn to explain.”

The fusion hums noncommittally, “Alright. The short version is, Steven got mixed up in Homeworld affairs and we managed to turn the diamonds onto our side. Their combined powers were enough to uncorrupt the gems.”

Angella makes a noise of surprise. The diamonds? With the Crystal Gems? It seemed impossible. They fought a thousand-year war after all. “That’s….hard to believe. And impressive.”

Amethyst barks out a laugh, flipping over onto her stomach, “That’s Steven for ya. Always doing the impossible”

Pearl shrugs, “he’s good at this.”

Angella chuckles, “I don’t suppose we could borrow him for Hordak?”

“You wish”

Garnet taps her visor, “we’re going to keep Steven out of this as much as we can. He’s got his hands full back home with the homeworld gems. The two of us can lend you a hand though. Maybe send a few allies over as well.”

Pearl snapped her fingers as something dawned on her, “Peridot! I bet she’d get along great with your new princess of Dryl.” 

Garnet nodded, “Lapis would have a field day with Salineas’ princess.”

Angella didn’t recognize the names, just the gem types. A technician and agricultural gem, if she remembered correctly. They’d worked with a few during the gem war. “I’m sure that’d be great” She clapped suddenly, “And speaking of the new princesses, I’m going to have to introduce you. If you’re fighting alongside us again, it’d be best if they trust you.”

Pearl makes a noise of agreement, “Right.”

Amethyst sits up, “How many are there?”

The rebel leader thinks for a second, “Well, there are three I intend to visit, you met Adora and Glimmer already, and there’s two more, but I’ll have the others pass the message along.”

Garnet smiles, “Looks like we’re going to do some traveling then”

Pearl grins as well, “Nostalgic much?”

Angella laughs, “Just like the old days. But first,” she stands up and stretches, “I’m going to sleep. You gems might not sleep but-” she’s cut off by a snore from Amethyst, who seemed to have fallen asleep sometime during the conversation. The queen just blinks in bewilderment, “well, uh. That’s new.” 

Pearl sighs, “Amethyst rather enjoys human habits. We’ll take her out of your room. Maybe scout the forest a bit.”

Angella nods, “alright. Meet me tomorrow morning at the warp pad. I’ll explain to my troops and we’ll head out for the other kingdoms.”

Garnet flashes her a thumbs-up, picking up the purple gem with one hand, “Sounds like a plan”

Pearl gives her a playful salute as they slipped through the door, “Don’t be late!”

Angella waves back, “wouldn’t dream of it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're still here, then thanks alot of reading!! I appreciate every one of you who left kudos on this fic ^v^


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